Top 5 Veggies To Include In Your Diabetes Diet

January 6, 2014

With the way diabetes has now become a worldwide epidemic – I feel the need to stress the huge benefits that certain vegetables can have for diabetics, and to touch on some types of vegetables to steer away from if you are diabetic and why.

1. Green Leafy Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables are capable of normalising the hematological abnormalities associated with pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, according to a study published in the Journal of Natural Product and Plant Resources. Hematological abnormalities to you or I, are basically ‘blood abnormalities’.

So, with the inclusion of a good amount of green leafy vegetables on a regular basis you could help to prevent some of the hematological complications that diabetics are prone too.

2. Fibre Rich Vegetables

Fibre is basically a carbohydrate that cannot be digested. Fibre is especially important to diabetics because it can help to normalize blood sugar levels. Fibre can be found in all vegetables, but a large amount is contained within the skin of the vegetable which not everybody eats, so it is easy to see how people do not always get enough daily fibre.

The 5 vegetables that are highest in fibre are; peas, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and spinach. 25 – 30 grams of fibre a day is the recommended amount for all diabetics.

3. Non-Starchy Vegetables

Diabetics should pay particular attention to the types of vegetable carbohydrates they consume as some contain higher levels of carbohydrates than others, which can cause your blood sugar to become out of balance and harder to control according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre.

Vegetables high in carbohydrates include; white potatoes, corn, and winter squash. Often these are referred to as ‘starchy’ vegetables, and are termed as being high on the Glycemic Index (GI) which means they can cause blood sugar to rise quickly.

Types of vegetables low in carbohydrates (or are termed ‘non starchy’ vegetable), includes spinach, kale, broccoli, salad greens and green beans. These are all usually low on the GI scale making them gentler on the blood sugar for all that eat them, especially diabetics.